On Sunday, Kyrie Irving reminded NBA fans around the globe what makes him so special. The eight-time All-Star pulled off a buzzer beater for the ages to guide the Dallas Mavericks to a slender 107-105 win over the defending NBA champions the Denver Nuggets.
For one current NBA player, Kyrie’s talent comes as no surprise. During a recent episode of his podcast, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green touched on Irving’s scoring ability and the ease with which he plays the game. Green goes on to say that Irving’s versatility and skill make him one of the hardest players to guard in the league.
“Kyrie Irving is the scorer that everyone, the world thinks of Kevin Durant,” said Green.
Green, who has plenty of experience guarding his former teammate Durant, went on to clarify that he means this statement as a compliment to Kyrie Irving, and not as a criticism of Durant.
“Kyrie Irving is the scorer that everyone thinks of Kevin Durant.”
– Draymond Green
(h/t @kyriecenterig )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 19, 2024
“There are somethings at times that you can do to Kevin to make it a little tougher on him,” added Green. “Kyrie Irving you can’t do anything to make it hard on him. You can’t make the game tough for Kyrie…He is arguably the best finisher in the NBA.”
Green lists several features that make the 31-year-old guard one of the most lethal scorers in the NBA including his three-point shot, mid-range jumper and his ability to score with both hands.
This season, Irving is averaging 25.4 points per game shooting 49 percent from the field. In comparison, Kevin Durant is currently averaging 27.8 points per game for the Phoenix Suns shooting 52 percent from the field.
Irving and Durant are very different players which makes it difficult to compare their skillsets. They remain two of the game’s elite scorers and continue to cause problems for some of the game’s premier defender, including Draymond Green.
